1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly to a sliding/folding-type portable terminal that can be opened in a convenient manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a portable communication terminal provides electrical communication between users or between a user and a service provider. The terminal may provide voice communication, short sentence message, multimedia services, and entertainment.
Portable terminals are classified according to their appearance into bar-type terminals having a transmitter unit, a receiver unit, and a data input/output device positioned on a single housing; flip-type terminals having a transmitter unit, a receiver unit, and a data input/output device positioned on a single housing, as well as a flip cover attached thereto to expose/hide a data input device such as a keypad; and folder-type terminals having a transmitter unit, a receiver unit, and a data input/output device respectively positioned on a suitable one of a pair of foldable housings. Recently, sliding-type, popup-type, and swing-type terminals have appeared and been commercialized in according to consumer demand. These variously portable terminals can be easily understood by those skilled in the art.
Among portable terminals, folder-type terminals are the most preferred terminals due to their comparatively excellent portability and user convenience. Sliding-type terminals have gained popularity as preferred terminals.
One of the commonalities between folder-type and sliding-type terminals is the fact that a pair of housings are folded on each other in standby mode and one of housings is moved relative to the other to be unfolded. In addition, input and output devices including a keypad, a display device, and transmitter and receiver units, as well as circuit devices for communication function, are properly distributed and positioned on the housings.
Therefore, folder-type or sliding-type terminals are advantageous for their compactness and suitable for portability improvement. Furthermore, they can be more variously modified than other types of terminals to position input and output devices as desired. As such, folder-type or sliding-type terminals have the advantages of improved user convenience and diversified terminal design.
In the case of a folder-type terminal, however, a user must manually rotate a housing 30°, at minimum, or 90°, at maximum, to open the terminal. In the case of a sliding-type terminal, a user must likewise manually slide a housing through a part or all of the movement range of the housing. Furthermore, the display device of a sliding-type terminal is always exposed and the transparent cover protecting the display device may be damaged (e.g., scratched) or fractured by an external impact.